On April 10th, my love saga with The Buttertones made a sudden shift to feel like a brisk affair with an older man when they released their fifth album, Jazzhound. This album holds all of the integrity of their past works, while moving into new directions that I pray they never sway from.
Amid the days of albums like American Brunch (2016) and Gravedigging (2017), I would have coined The Buttertones as a purely post-punk band, but this album displays newfound maturity that brashly defies that. It’s swelling with experimentation and growth. Richard Araiza’s lead vocals continue to melt seamlessly into the jazzy instrumentals, guiding us through each song as they become progressively darker and more unforgiving, ending with a call to be utterly “Hellbound.”
“Phantom Eyes” couples their quintessential sound with obvious experimentation, opening the album with their well-worn high tempo lead followed by rapid changes in tempo. The opening guitar riff is full of anticipation, setting the scene for the album as if to say, “yes, you’re in for a new treat.” It immediately follows with “Denial You Win Again,” which has the refined lyrical taste we’ve heard throughout all of their albums, but with surprises like the alluring new use of a synthesizer.
Jazzhound embodies the new wave that has hit The Buttertones within the last few years. This is the first album the band has released without former guitarist, Dakota Boettcher, who had written much of their earlier lyrics. Additionally, their previous drummer, Modeste ‘Cobi’ Cobián, was tragically blindsided by a cornea infection, forcing the band to cancel part of their 2018 tour. They resiliently sank back into their groove, but with Cobián strapped into a guitar as new member, Grant Snyder filled his spot on the drums for live shows. With all of the shifts in members, it’s only natural that their new content parallels such change.
The lyrical choices of the album also capture a newfound maturity, cementing serious character development for the band. The Buttertones have never left their albums to be consumed by love songs, but the ones of Jazzhound are nothing like “Baby Doll” or “Reminiscing” of previous albums. Araiza’s lyrics put their foot down to dragging heartache that never amounts to anything in a manner I must applaud. “Blind Passenger” tells of a fleeting longing for an old love, only to be overpowered by rationalization, singing “Follow your gut or your heart will sink.” It closes with a sudden shift into a dazed mood, like a kiss goodbye to wasted time on old love.
“Infinite Tenderness” follows two tracks later to deliver a heart aching message I dearly hope to never hear myself. It tells of a love riddled with “vice and scorn” that pleaded on beyond exhaustion, but may meet again one day “floating downstream.” Araiza’s wistful voice conveys complete heart ache, preluding his call to return to the wild without his failed love.
Jazzhound wastes no further time on romance, next turning to “Bebop,” an unabashed soundtrack for wild bachelors. This track is my personal favorite of the album, perhaps because it alludes most profoundly to their earlier works. Saxist, London Guzman pierces through to carry the melody, reminding listeners that this style cannot be replicated. Araiza’s smoky vocals set the image of a gang of bikers rallying towards their motorcycles and revving their engines to cast off into a foggy dusk.
Jazzhound is an entirely necessary cornerstone of maturity for The Buttertones, hopefully leading to everlasting growth for the young band. After releasing five albums and two EPs, The Buttertones are aging with grace.
Article by Natalie Gott